Cruzeiro signing shines as Colombia beat Spain in U20 World Cup victory | OneFootball

The forward Néiser Villarreal, who signed a pre-contract with Cruzeiro for the next season, shone with a hat-trick and led Colombia to a 3-2 victory over Spain this Saturday in Talca, in the quarter-finals of the U-20 World Cup.

Currently with Millonarios, the 20-year-old Villarreal opened the scoring for the Colombian team at 38 minutes into the game.

Spain turned the game around at the beginning of the second half with Rayane Belaid at 11 minutes and Jan Virgili at 14, taking advantage of a brief defensive lapse by Colombia that lasted only three minutes.

Villarreal, who will join Cruzeiro in December, showcased his speed and goal-scoring instinct by scoring two more times (19′ and 44′) to seal the victory and the South Americans' advancement to the semifinals.

“We came here for seven games and have already played five,” said the euphoric forward, who uses the name “Ney” on his shirt in honor of his idol Neymar.

“We haven't made history yet. We will make history when we bring the Cup to Colombia,” added the star of the match.

The bad news for Colombians is that Villarreal, who was on a yellow card warning, received another yellow card and will have to serve a suspension in the semifinal, scheduled for Wednesday at 8 PM (Brasília time), against the winner of the match between Argentina and Mexico.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.